Nocturnal seizures

Nighttime (nocturnal) seizures cause unusual movement or behavior while sleeping, including awakening for no reason, violent arm or leg movement, tongue biting and urination. People suffering from nocturnal seizures often are not aware of what is happening and confuse their daytime fatigue with symptoms of insomnia.

What you should know about nocturnal seizures

Nocturnal seizures are more likely to occur during light sleep, which is a stage of sleep that occurs soon after falling asleep or soon before waking.

Seizures that happen at night can also happen during daytime naps.

It is important to get treatment for nocturnal seizures, because seizures and sleep deprivation are closely related. Nocturnal seizures can cause sleep deprivation, which in turn can lead to a higher risk of having seizures.

Why choose Geisinger for your nocturnal seizure treatment?

We offer quick scheduling of diagnostic sleep studies in our specially designed sleep centers so you can get back to restful sleeping as soon as possible.

Our sleep centers have round-the-clock scheduling options for shift workers so they can be tested during their normal sleeping times.